Bumper jack



J. L. WHITE July 4, 1950 BUMPER JACK Filed July 7, 1945 FIG-2 FIG- II zu43 l 2 I llll .i. m n a H a I 2FII|IIIT JOHN L.WHITE' IN VEN TOR.

\ ,47'70PNE Y Patented July 4, 1950 BUMPER JACK John L. White, Dallas,Tex., assignor to Robert C. Brown, J r., Highland Park, 111., as trusteeApplication July 7, 1945, Serial No. 603,647

Claims. (Cl. 254-107) This invention relates to lifting jacks and moreparticularly to a type of lifting apparatus known as a bumper jack.

The principal object of the invention is to providean inexpensive buteffective and durable jack,

adapted primarily to lift vehicles for tire changes and other purposesby engaging the bumper of a vehicle and by virtue of a pair of springpressed, circular elements or washers, loosely mounted on paralleluprights, together with a handle actuated oscillatable member,constrained'to alter- :nately rock the said washers on said uprights,

a housing embracing said elements, having means for engagement under theobject to be lifted, is caused to be moved upwardly on said uprights tolift said object.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lifting jack consistingof the few working parts named, but supplemented by a releasing leverlocated conveniently near the operating handle, having the function tocenter the washers on the uprights and, through the joint action of thesaid lever, springs and handle, the said housing isreleased to theweight of the object lifted to lower the latter.

With the foregoing objects as paramount, the

invention has further reference to certain features of accomplishmentwhich will become apparent as the description proceeds, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings where- Figure 1 is aperspective view of a jack constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is an elevational view, fragmentarily vshowing the uprightsupport and showing the housing in vertical section.

Figure 3 is a plan view in transverse section, taken on line 33 onFigure 2, a portion of the oscillatable shaft being broken away.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view, and

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the oscillatable shaft foractuating the washers.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference isprimarily made to Figure 1 wherein numeral I0 denotes a standformedbybending a rod or tubing of suitable diameter to define anelongated U-shaped member con arm ll;

of a rectangular plate or strip l5 at the top and bottom, to which theinwardly turned edges of the plates M are spot welded at appropriatepoints. Thus, a rigid body, having open sides is provided and isapertured to slidably receive the uprights H.

The plates [4 of the housing I3 are further provided with aligned slotsbelow their midsections to accommodate a lifting arm consisting of twofiat pieces of metal 56, welded together intermediate their ends andshaped to define a lifting arm H. The pieces l6 extend entirely throughthe housing l3 and their rear ends are bent reversely at l8 andflattened against the outer surface of the plate I I opposite thelifting A shoulder 19 (Figure 4) is formed in the under edge of the armI! Where it enters the housing I3 to serve as an abutment, reinforcingthe arm I1 when a load is imposed thereon, the flattened ends 18 of theplates l6 preventing them from being drawn from their positions in thehousing under stress of a load.

To raise the housing I3 on the uprights l l' with a series of successivemovements, a climbing ring or washer 20 is mounted on each upright andwhose central opening is slightly larger than the diameter of theuprights. Bearing. upon the underside of each washer 2B is a coiledspring 2|, surrounding the upright therebelow. The wash- .ersZU areadapted to be alternately rocked on their uprights by means of anoscillatable stub shaft 22. This shaft has a reduced end 23, extendingthrough an aperture in the housing wall 14 next adjacent the lifting armll. 'The opposite end of the shaft extends through an opening 24 in theopposite wall of the housing and, contributing to the structural economyand ease of assembly of the device, no means other than the washers 20,reposing in recesses 25 in the shaft 22, is required to hold the latteragainst longitudinal displacement in the housing.

The recesses 25 (Figure 5) are arranged longitudinally in shaft 22 onopposite sides thereof and in which the edges of the washers '20 arereceived in the manner shown. Sufficient clearance is allowed the edgesin the recesses 25 to prevent binding thereof as the shaft 22 isoscillated.

One end of the shaft 22 is formed into a flattened pin 26, which isreceived by a correspondingly shaped recess in the end of a handle 21,the latter consisting of flat metal and is readily removable from thepin 26.

In operating the jack, the arm I! is disposed under the object to belifted, such as the bum-per of an automobile and the lower end of thestand I I] is set into a base consisting of a channel member 28 whosesides 29 are bent slightly inwardly to more nearly equal the diameter ofthe uprights I i in their relative spacing. The base prevents the standfrom sinking into the ground and from sliding from under the load and apin (not shown) inserted in holes a in the sides of the channel member28, prevents displacement of the stand longitudinally of the base.

As the handle 21 is reciprocated vertically, the shaft 22 is oscillated,which action rocks the washers 2i on the respective uprights Halternately. For example, viewing the assembly as it appears in Figure2; the shaft 22, is being rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, willraise the inner edge of the washer 2B-at the'right while the companionwasher assumes-the weight of the load imposed on the housing I?! by thesupporting or lifting arm l1. As the change is made in the position ofthe washer on the right, the spring 2i thereunder retains the same andshifts it to ahigher level on the upright. When the shaft 22 is rotatedin the opposite or clockwise direction, the other washer is similarlyactuated, the washer on the right being new effective to support theload and the spring under the active washer "functioning to elevatethesame. Oscillation of the handle and consequent rocking of the washersis continued until the object has been raised to the desired height.

To lower the housing It on the uprights I I, a release lever 36 isprovided which is fastened, preferably by welding, to one of thewashersizfl. It will be observed, especially in Figure 3 thattthe freeend of the lever as is bent at right angles to overlie the handle 21 inorder that it may be engaged by the thumb of the same hand used toactuate the handle. By pressing downwardly with the'thumb on the lever30 to bring the washer to which it is attached into a horizontal.position as the handle 2? is gradually lowered to such'position as todispose the companion washer also in a horizontal plane, a fixed anglemember 3|, de-

pending from the upper end of the housing I 3will be engaged by the saidcompanion washer, which latter, it will be understood is under thenormal pressure of the spring 2! therebelow. With both washers now in ahorizontal plane, they no longer function to support the housing l3,which latter,

under the weight of the load supported by arm l1;

falls downwardly with the load.

iMa-nifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of somemodification'and such modification as may be construed to fall withinthe scope and meaning of the. appended claims is also considered to bewithin the spirit and intent surrounding said uprights below-and bearingagainst said washers, a housing embracing said washers and springs, ashaft journaled in the walls, of said housing to oscillate between saidwashers and having recesses receiving the edges of said washers, a loadlifting arm protruding from one wall of said housing, meansforoscillating said shaft to actuate said washers to "eleclimbing, membersupwardly.

4 vate said housing on said uprights and means for releasing saidwashers from frictional engagement with said uprights to lower saidhousing thereon.

2. In a lifting jack, a pair of uprights, a housing slidablelongitudinally on said uprights and having a load supporting armprotruding therefrom, a pair of cooperating washers rockably mounted onsaid uprightsjjinjsaidhousing, stabilizing springs bearing against theundersides of said washers, means journaled in said housing between"said washers and engageable with each for alter- :nately rocking thesame to advance said housing along said uprights, means for actuatingsaid latter means and means for disposing and holding said washers in aplane at right angles to the axes of said uprights to release and lowersaid housing on the latter.

'3.In a lifting jack, a pair of uprights, washers rockably mounted onsaid uprights, a spring bearing against the underside of each of saidwashers, a housing for said'springs andwashers, having a load engagingarm thereon, means oscillatably mounted in said housing eifective toalternatev frictional engagement of saidwa'shers'and their respectiveuprights to advance said housing on said uprights andmeans for releasingsaid washers simultaneously from said uprights to lower said housingthereon. 1

v4. A lifting jack comprising a base, a U-shaped member includingparallel uprights, fastening means fixed to the base extending betweenthe uprights, a housing slidably mounted on the uprights and having'aload bearing member, cooperating friction climbing members rockablyembracing the uprights within the housing, asubstantially straight loadtransmitting sha'ftxjournaled in the housing between the uprights andshaped to'engage the climbing members, whenbya load on the housing maybe transmitted directly to both-climbing members by the 'loadtransmitting shaft, and springs for urging'the 5. Aliftingjack-comprising parallel spaced-um rights, a housing slidably mounted onthe uprights, a load bearing member rigid with the housing, cooperatingfriction climbing members REFERENCES orrnn The following references areof record infthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 557,501 Ennis Mar. 31, 1896991,965 Flint May 9,1911

1,033,? 15 Luker July 23,1912

Grover Apr. 29,1913

